Paul Position: WA teen to set pace at CoE

• Luke Paul claimed MVP and All-Star Five honours at the FIBA U16 Asia Cup after leading the Crocs to gold.
• He earned an AIS scholarship and will relocate to Canberra to join the Centre of Excellence
• Has signed with Lighthouse Sports Management, joining a stable featuring Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels.

Luke Paul’s rise from Perth junior to international standout has gathered serious speed in 2025.

The 6’5 guard earned an AIS scholarship and quickly turned potential into production, steering Australia’s U16 Crocs to gold at the FIBA U16 Asia Cup in Mongolia.

Paul was the tournament’s standout, claiming MVP honours and a place in the All-Star Five after a commanding title-game performance against China that featured 26 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists in a 95-79 win.

It caps off a whirlwind few months. In April, he represented Western Australia at the U18 Nationals as a 15-year-old, helping the Sandgropers emerge as one of the tournament’s hottest teams. He then suited up for his hometown Willetton Tigers in NBL1 West.

“It was a big step, going from juniors into seniors,” Paul said of the transition to NBL1.

“The physicality was definitely something that I worked on a lot. But also just like the speed of the game and just everything in total was just a big step up.”

“It was definitely a big shock for me at the start but as I trained throughout the year, I definitely realised that I got a lot better from it.”

“It definitely helped me going into the seniors and training with the older guys and getting bullied every session to now, where I can handle my own which is good.”

In August, he joined the Perth Wildcats at the NBL Blitz in Canberra alongside academy teammate, 7"6' teenager Jongkuch Mach, before flying to Mongolia for national team duties.

Now the teenager’s focus shifts to his move to Canberra and life at the Centre of Excellence, joining the program via an intake that includes Queensland big man Harry Cook.

“It was definitely a shock. I didn’t expect it at all at the stage that I was in. I was so happy, there were so many emotions,” Paul told wildcats.com.au of his scholarship offer.

“[I’m] Sad to leave my friends, but the big thing was happy and excited. It’s definitely a privilege. It’s not every day someone gets a scholarship to the AIS, so I’m really excited to move over and get started.”

Paul is immediately getting thrown in the deep end, as the Centre of Excellence will travel to Abu Dhabi next week for the NBA Academy Showcase.

Players attending from the COE include Paul, Nash Walker (TAS), Che Brogan (VIC), Marcus Vaughns (VIC), Ajak Nyuon (ACT), Flynn Pavely (NSW), Alex Dickeson (SA), JK Mach (WA), Guer Bar (VIC), Jai Fa’ale (VIC), and Harry Cook (QLD).

The NBA Academy Showcase is a unique opportunity for Australia’s best talent to compete against other international academies.

The COE will play fixtures against IMG Academy Ascender Elite (Florida, USA), INSEP (Paris, France) and NBA Global Academy Africa (Saly, Senegal) from 25 – 27 September.

And as Paul takes to the global stage, the basketball world is already on notice.

Paul is now represented by Lighthouse Sports Management, the firm led by power agent Daniel Moldovan, whose clients include Australian stars Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels and Chris Goulding.

For Paul, he's on a path that could set up him up so that his name will one day be mentioned in the same breath as his stablemates.

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